(TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—Your footnote to Mr.
Mackarness's letter in the Spectator of January 6th so pregnantly exposes the prema- ture character of his attack upon Sir Alfred Milner that no further comment on this point is needed. Under cover, however, of this attack, Mr. Mackarness advances a plea for the general loyalty of the Cape Dutch ; and as he states his- case with the trained skill of a professional advocate, I fear that confusion may thereby be created in the minds of many of your readers. There is no doubt that a large section of the Cape Dutch, and especially those living in - the towns, have disapproved of the aggressive policy of the two Republics, and have, despite racial ties, remained - entirely loyal. On the other hand, there are probably a considerable section who are in active sympathy with the ambitions and the methods employed by those Republics to establish Dutch supremacy in South Africa. It is, moreover, an open secret that these supporters have received Transvaal monies, and that President Kruger has held a whip over their heads by threatening to publish their names. It is misleading not to make this distinction, even - - though we may share Mr. Mackarness's curiosity as to the -
reasons which prompted Sir Alfred Milner not to encourage the idea of any formal recognition of the Cape Dutch Loyalist faction. Doubtless these will be forthcoming at a more fitting historic moment, and will then be the subject of legitimate criticism. There are, further, one or two examples of clever special pleading in this letter to which I would wish attention. It would be interesting to learn the source of Mr. Mackarness's information for the following state- ment :—" The Colonial Ministers accustomed to the confi- dence habitually given to his Ministers by Lord Rosmead found their opinions asked by Sir A. Milner only on matters of domestic concern." Certainly this information is not to be found in Blue books, and presumably must be based on the ipse dixit of a Minister who had served both under Lord Rosmead and Sir A. Milner. Then, again, the use of the word " publicly " in the sentence, "From time to time state-
ments have been publicly made that Sir A. Milner contemplated the dismissal of Mr. Schreiner's Govern- ment," is an instance of a special pleader's dialectic skill, and the more accurate term would have been that state- ments have been made by irresponsible newspaper corre- spondents, Szc. Finally, in violent antithesis to the alleged partisanship of Sir Alfred Milner we have Mr. Schreiner held up as an apostle of neutrality. I can hardly suppose that Mr. Mackarness has any internal documentary evidence, such as Ministerial memoranda, to support this position, and certainly such information as has been generally received rather points the other way. It is painful to me to write on this question, as I have known Mr. Schreiner intimately, and was on terms of personal friendship with him for many years. By blood, by training, and by intellectual temperament he is the natural leader of the true Afrikander party in South Africa, —a party which, in my opinion, has legitimate ambitions for some recognition of their growing sense of nationality. In this respect, and in their loyalist attitude to the Empire, they are in much the same position as the Nationalist party in Australia. However much, therefore, Mr. Schreiner may have felt the obligations of neutrality, it must have been extremely difficult for him during the progress of negotia- tions to have pursued a very active English military policy in respect of the Cape Colonial forces. It is, I think, at this moment impossible to attempt any historic and discrimi- nating criticism of Mr. Schreiner's action. With the scanty information at our disposal it is as unintelligent and futile to eulogise his neutrality, as it is to condemn his alleged laissez-faire indifference. Personally I am of opinion that by remaining at his post he has sacrificed his own feelings, and has rendered a patriotic service to the Empire.
[We have received several other letters in much the same sense as this letter, but cannot find space for them ; nor can we continue this correspondence. We may add, however, that no reasonable person here has any jealousy in regard to the growth of the Afrikander nation within the Empire. We want to see developed, not crushed, the rise of the Afrikander as one of the four great free nations within the Empire,—the Canadians, the Australians, the South Africans, and the New Zealanders, all parts of one great whole, of which these islands also are only a part.—En. Spectator.]
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